The Hunt
by Coronium
Summary: When Velvet never arrives for dinner, Yatsuhashi is forced to take matters into his own hands. Let the hunt begin.


Yatsuhashi paced back and forth wondering for the one hundredth time where his partner had gone. They had agreed to meet for their date almost an hour ago at their favorite restaurant in Vale, but she had never shown up. This wasn't like her at all, she was always the one who showed up early. She would just sit there patiently with that warm smile on her face and ask him what had taken him so long. Sometimes, that smile was the only thing that could get him through the day... and it was gone. He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked around, almost reaching for his sword. He calmed down when he realized it was just the host.

"Sir... would you like me to show you to a seat?"

Yatsuhashi didn't have to be a genius to hear the implied 'because you're starting to freak everyone out.' It was obvious by the nervous twitch in the man's eye. Still, the hunter couldn't blame him, he certainly wasn't the definition of calm. He sighed and shook his head. The host almost started panicking before Yatsuhashi started speaking.

"Actually, I was supposed to meet someone here, but she doesn't appear to have arrived yet. Can you check to see if she left a message?"

"Of course, sir. If I can have your name, I can check."

"It will be under Yatsuhashi. Left by Velvet Scarlatina."

"Let's see... Hmmm. I'm afraid not sir. No message for a Yatsuhashi from a Velvet Scarlatina."

"I see, thank you."

For what was perhaps the 20th time, he tried to call her. It continued ringing, but she still wouldn't answer. If showing up late was unlike her, this was downright alien. She had always answered on the second ring. Third at the very latest. She had never missed any of his calls. Much less twenty in a row. This wasn't right. Finally, he decided that enough was enough. One last time. He dialed her number one last time. If she didn't answer this time, then he would start to panic. Two rings...three...four...five...si- Finally, his patience was rewarded. She answered. Relief was immediately filled with confusion as she refused to answer his voice.

"Velvet? Can you hear me? Hello? If you can hear me, say-" but he was cut off by her voice.

"Like white on rice, really. You'll see. Just wait." Yatsuhashi listened quietly wondering what was going on, but he soon realized she wasn't alone.

"We've had your type in here before, princess. It's always the same story until...Well well well, what do we have here? Oy, Oak. Lookie what we got here. Stupid Rabbit was hiding a scroll."

A third voice finally joined in. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

There was a sudden noise and then silence.

Yatsuhashi's eyes, which had been wide open in shock soon narrowed in barely contained fury as the line disconnected. He went through the options on his scroll and immediately tried to locate her using her scroll's tracking system. Nothing. It was either off or...

He growled and walked back towards the host of the restaurant.

"C-can I help you sir?" he man asked

"The girl that I was waiting for. She was a Faunus. Rabbit, brown hair, amber eyes. Most adorable girl you've ever seen She was here. How long ago?"

"I uh... I don't remember there being a faunus girl here that matched that description..."

Yatsuhashi glared at the man, who could only gulp in response. He seemed relieved when an older gentleman arrived at his shoulder.

"Is there anything I can do for you, sir?"

"Yes, the girl I was supposed to meet here isn't here anymore. I need to know how long she's been gone. Rabbit Faunus, amber eyes, yay tall."

As he stared at the unusually nervous host, he made sure to make eye contact with him as he finished. "Her name is Velvet Scarlatina. I'm her partner."

To accentuate his point, Yatsu held up the identification that marked him as a hunter in training.

"Ah, yes, I do recall someone fitting that description. She left a little over an hour ago. Escorted by a couple of friends, if my memory serves me."

"Did she leave a message?" Yatsuhashi asked, not missing the stare the two men gave each other.

"Afraid not, sir."

"Are you sure? It's very unlike her to give no notice. I would hate to find out there was anything you missed," he said, almost casually, if not for the glare adorning his face.

The older gentleman gave a small gesture, and two large men approached. They weren't as large as the hunter in training, but taking them on here would cause a ruckus and waste time he didn't have. He could already tell he wouldn't get any more information from these men without a thorough...debriefing. More time he didn't have. Instead, he shook himself free from the grip of theman on his left and walked out on his own two feet. The last glimpse he gave the two men inside would have sent Grimm running in fright.

"I hope I don't have to come back."

They got the message.

He shook his head and tried to focus on what else he might be able to do. his first thought was to try and retrace his steps, though he realized how futile that would be. It wasn't as if he had simply LOST her. Well, technically... he shook his head again. FOCUS. There was no use getting lost in thought here of all places. He cupped his chin with his hand and pondered for a moment while looking at the sky.

"If I were Velvet... where would I- No. That's not right. If I were Yatsuhashi, where would I look first? Because if I were Velvet, then that's where I would put my first clue... "

With that thought in mind, Yatsuhashi looked towards the most suspicious looking place in the area. The alleyway. He walked towards it, wondering how a neighborhood this nice could still have alleys this dirty. As he got closer, he saw exactly what he'd been hoping for. A small mark on the alley wall. That would be Velvet alright. It was a message left especially for him. He knelt down and pondered its meaning for a few moments.

It appeared to be a half completed arrow pointing to the west (how had she even managed to carve that into stone while struggling? Seriously). That was all the hint he would need to start off. He was a hunter after all, and that name wasn't just for show. Velvet was smart and tough. Not to mention resourceful. She would find ways of leaving him clues, if he were just observant enough to find them. He ran down the alleyway, keeping his eyes open for any small signs of a struggle. If he knew Velvet, she would alternate between 'coming quietly,' and struggling violently. Sure enough, on the other side of the alley he found a small blood stain. At least he knew he was heading in the right direction. As he reached the end of the alley, he found himself without any other clues to show for it.

He looked around angrily, still not finding anything. This wasn't right. Velvet was smart, resourceful, and capabel of handling almost anything. There shouldn't be a dead end. Not here, not now... He kicked a trash can in his frustration. He wasn't one prone to outbursts, but the situation wasn't exactly 'normal.' As the trash flew free from its container, he heard an ourburst from across the street.

"HEY! I JUST CLEANED THAT UP!"

Yatsuhashi looked over and saw the old man shaking his fist at him. As angry as Yatsuhashi was, he immediately regretted his brash action. He bent down and picked up the garbage as best he could. After making sure that the lid to the trash can was once again closed tight, he looked over to the old man across the street. The man had watched him with a stern eye, making sure that he picked everything up.

...

"Yatsu, that's no good!"

Yatsuhashi looked up from his notes and raised an eyebrow at his partner. They were sitting in class during a lecture, and she was pointing at his paper with a frown at her face. He looked down, wondering what her objection was to his notes. He couldn't see anything wrong with them, but Velvet wasn't one to speak out like that unless it was important, so he just listened to what she had to say.

"You need to take your notes properly or they won't do you any good when you need them."

"What do you mean? I am taking notes properly."

"The only thing you've written down in the past half hour is 'The Great Migration.' You need to know when it happened, where they went to, what happened to them."

"But I do know those things. He just talked about it."

"That'd not going to help you six weeks from now when you look at the notes and don't remember a thing."

"That's why I wrote this down. When it comes time to study, I'll know what to look up."

"What if there are things he says that aren't in the book?"

For the first time, Yatsuhashi looked concerned. More than concerned, really, his face looked mortified, as if she had just told him that everything the professor had ever said had been a lie made just to fool him. The shadow that crossed his face spoke volumes about the depths of this betrayal.

"You...You really think he would do that?"

Velvet sighed and shook her head. Still, she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips. She tried to cover it up with her hand, but Yatsuhashi noticed anyway. She hadn't exactly been subtle.

"Velvet this isn't funny. Do... do you really think he would do that? Wait... there was a question on the last test that I got wrong that I had no idea how to answer. I couldn't find it no matter how hard I looked... was that one of those pieces of information that wasn't in the books? You don't think the other teachers do this too, do you?"

Velvet tried her hardest to kep a straight face, but the looke of pure horror on her partner's face was both adorable and one of the funniest things she had seen all semester. She stifled her giggle as best as she could and tried to catch her breath.

"I'll tell you what, if you promise to start taking notes properly, we can start studying together. I can help you cover the things you might have missed so far, and you can help me navigate the book. Deal?"

Yatsuhashi nodded eagerly and furiously began scribbling down everything their professor was saying.

"Thank you, Velvet."

"It's no problem, Yatsu. We're partners, aren't we? And Partners look out for each other no matter what. But do try to do this properly. Any little detail could be vital," she added as she help up her notes as an example.

Yatsuhashi looked at them in awe, it was placed into categories, subsections, and side notes. Bits of information that were important were highlighted with a small star. He mouthed the word 'wow,' but they both realized at the same time that they were starting to fall behind. Offering her partner one last smile, Velvet immediately began burning through paper to catch up. This time, it was Yatsuhashi's turn to chuckle.

...

As he looked around, Yatsuhashi tried to find some sort of clue, anything. He checked the walls again, to make sure he hadn't missed any small scratches or markings. He moved the garbage can again to make sure that there wasn't some sort of cloth attached to it. Velvet had also been known to use pieces of her own clothing in a pinch. Still, nothing. It wasn't until he looked across the street again that he saw something that might help him. The old man was still sweeping the floor outside his shop and staring at Yatshuhashi. The hunter couldn't help but notice that the floor seemed to be clear of debris, but the man was using the opportunity to watch him. But as soon as the shopkeep noticed that he had been made, he scurried back inside.

As he watched the elderly man head back inside, Yatsuhashi's finally gave the shop his full attention. It seemed like an ordinary place. The items displayed in the windows varied, with no clear set theme. It seemed it was a second hand shop called 'The Bee's Schnees.' As Yatsuhashi watched, the old man seemed to scramble around inside the shop. Not wanting to waste any more time, Yatsuhashi marched across the street, keeping his eyes open for any sudden changes.

As he reached the door to the shop, the old man flipped the sign to 'CLOSED,' and tried to lock the door. Luckily, the hunter just pushed the door open before the man managed to lock it.

"I..uh I-I'm afraid we're closed, sir. You'll have to come back another day."

"Really? That's odd. Your sign seem to say that you're open for another three hours, at least."

"W-well I have to close early today...f-family occasion. Y-you know how these things can be."

As the man tried to explain, Yatsuhashi slowly made his way into the shop. Rather than stop him, the old shopkeep began backing up, trying to keep some difference between him and the large intruder. It wasn't until he backed into the counter that he realized just how far he had been pushed back by pure intimidation.

"In that case, I'll make it quick. Where is she?"

Yatsuhashi towered over the smaller man, his face not showing an ounce of kindness. The shopkeep seemed to shrink and become even smaller under the hunter's scrutiny. His reply, when it finally came, was unconvincing, at best.

"I don't know what you're talking abou-"

A hand on his shoulder silenced any further protest before it could gain any traction. The man gulped and stared at the extremely large hand (connected to the even larger arm) that held him in place. He didn't need to try it to know that he wouldn't be able to escape the grasp of the person in front of him. He was only glad that the hand had wrapped around his shoulder and not his throat.

"I'm only going to ask once more. Where. Is. She."

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? She was here, wasn't she?"

"Y-yeah, but they only store them here. They pick them up when they need them."

"Who's 'they?'"

"I don't know.."

"Then what DO you know?" Yatsuhashi asked, unable to hide his growing impatience.

"Look, they keep them here, and then, when they need them, a couple of guys stop buy, pick up the girls and leave me some money. That's all. I don't know anymore than that!"

The shopkeep flinched as he felt Yatsuhashi's grip tighten on his shoulder during his confession. His last words came out as begging more than an actual admission. Yatsuhashi glared at him and he shrunk down even more. The man was clearly no master ciminal. If it hadn't been for his missing partner, Yatsuhashi might have even felt bad for him.

"Show me where you keep these girls."

The small room in the back of the shop could barely be classified as such. It was dark, with only a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. The walls were damp and there was a single bucket in the corner of the room. It was obviously made with the ease of maintanence in mind rather than the comfort of its residents. As he stepped inside, Yatsuhashi immediately began searching for the clue he knew Velvet had left him. Any small piece of information could prove vital...He knelt down when he saw something pink lying in the corner. It was a ribbon. He would recognize it anywhere.

...

"What do you think, Yatsu? Not a bad color, right?"

Velvet smiled at him and gave a small twirl. The light dress she wore perfectly played off her eyes. Of course it did. She had come the day before specifically to find something that she knew he would like. She had to make it appear effortless, didn't she? A small price to pay, really. A huntress always needed to be prepared. She looked up at him expectantly, and he

"Yes, a very nice color. Very functional as well."

Velvet almost sighed. Leave it to her partner to bring up 'functional' on a shopping trip. Still, it wasn't like she hadn't expected it. He didn't seem to be the most...romantically inclined. That wasn't to say that he didn't care about her. She just knew that he had a harder time expressing it in ways that she could understand. He was very...subtle. She often wondered how her team leader managed to deal with her partner. Then she would remember that Coco was very...forward. She was snapped out of her thoughts bu a large figure in front of her.

Yatsuhashi held out his hand, which held a pink ribbon. "I think this would go very well with it."

Velvet gently took the small accessory. This was not 'functional' in the slightest. Her hair wasn't long enough that it would be a hindrance in battle, and it didn't get in her eyes. Plus, it could just as easily fall off or become a hindrance. That meant... he had picked it out for her simply because he actually thought it would look good on her. As she looked between the ribbon and her partner, she felt her face become flushed. She felt him place it in her hand and close her fingers over it for her.

That was the final straw. Her mouth opened, but instead of any words, a small high pitched squeak escaped. Her face turned completely red and she was gone. Yatsuhashi watched as his partner transformed into a blur of color headed towards the changing rooms. He followed her, concerned. As he approached the changing rooms, he could immediately tell which one she was hiding in. The small squeals hadn't stopped, and he tried to stop the small smile creeping across his face. He knocked on the door gently.

"Are you okay in there, Velvet?"

"I'm...I'm fine...really," she managed to get out between noises. It seemed like she just could not stop, no matter how hard she tried. Finally though, she opened up the door just enough to peek out. He could still see that her face was almost red enough to match her ribbon, but he was pleased to see that she was wearing it at all.

"It looks good on you."

He was greeted with another slam as she closed the door once again. The squeakss started again. Though he couldn't hide the smile on his face, he had a feeling they would be here a while.

...

Yatsuhashi held the small ribbon in his hand and carefully examined the room. She wouldn't have left this here so casually. In crisis or not, Velvet was one of the most brilliant people he knew. If this was left here, it was left here for him. His first glance didn't tell him much he didn't already know. The place was bare, not even a pipe sticking out of the wall. Just four solid pieces of concrete. The only thing left in the room... was a bucket.

As the realization hit him, he picked up the bucket, he found exactly what he was looking for. There, where the tool had been covering, was a message. Or rather, most of a message. The final 'e' stretched out, as if she had dragged her hand further than she should have. Or she had pulled it away quickly without moving her finger away from the ground. There was information missing, so he could only assume she had been interrupted. He was glad they hadn't thought to check under the waste bucket. Still, despite the fact that the flooring material was old and somewhat weak, he was still shocked. She had managed to carve a message into the concrete using only the aura she could focus into her finger. It didn't matter how much people cowered away from Coco, Velvet still scared him the most. The cocking of a gun behind him told him that he had perhaps spent too much time pondering this message.

He turned around to find that the old shopkeep was pointing a large barreled shotgun like weapon at his chest. Though his arms were shaking, the smaller man kept the gun as steady as possible. There was no doubt in his eyes. Yatsuhashi was a bit surprised. Most people would have at least hesitated a little. There was something so FINAL about ending another's life that gave even the most steadfast of people pause. Yet here he was, an old man in a weathered apron facing down someone a quarter his age with a weapon almost as old as he was with a look in his eyes that seemed both unrepentant and apologetic. It was then that Yatsuhashi finally understood. This man wasn't a member of the ring. He was no criminal mastermind. He was just a pawn. A scared old man who had been forced into a tragedy that had no possible good ending. He blinked once and tried to reason with his would be attacker.

"You don't have to do this."

"No. You don't understand. I do. You aren't the first person who's tried to investigate this whole thing, and I'm sure you won't be the last. You're brave, son. But I've seen what they do to brave. This is for the best."

Yatsuhashi reached for the gun, but before he could grasp it fully, the shopkeep pulled the trigger. The blast collided with his chest as the sound echoed through the shop.

...

"I'm telling you that can't possibly work."

"And I'm telling YOU that not only CAN it work, it DOES work," Velvet replied to her team leader. She grinned at Coco's unconvinced expression before continuing.

"Tell you what, I'll prove it. I bet I can snatch the glasses right off your nose."

"And if you can't?" Coco asked, now wearing a grin of her own. Before Velvet could answer, she was already making her own conditions. "We'll head down to that boutique in the square I've been telling you about. You'll have to try on ALL the cute outfits I've been trying to get you in to all semester."

Velvet shuddered at the thought. Coco had been trying to 'improve her look' almost the whole time they had known each other. It wasn't that her tastes in clothes were bad, but Velvet had her own style. Coco had always respected that, but she was also an opportunist. She finally saw a chance to get Velvet into the perfect set of clothes, and she wasn't going to let that pass. It would be hours of strutting around and twirling in one outfit after the other, and unlike her date with Yatsu, she would have little to no control over the situation. Not a way she wanted to spend a day off.

"Alright, but when I DO manage to get them off, you'll...You'll... have to do Yatsu and My part of the group paper while we go out this sunday!" she finally managed.

This time it was Coco's turn to shudder. It's not like she particularly disliked doing schoolwork, but when she remembered what the topic of the paper was, she couldn't help her reaction. The paper was all about the...unusual way that Professor Port had subdued a creature he had dubbed 'The Grimm Turkey.' They had to think of other such ways to take down creatures they had never encountered before while comparing it to his method. Then they had to give a presentation before the class. That meant thinking quite a bit about what had happened long ago in that dark forest meadow. Yeah, the stakes were definitely high.

"Alright then, deal. You hear that, boys? It's official. Call your bookies, cause this is happening," Coco said, finally speaking to their male teammates.

Yatsuhashi and Fox had been sitting at the library table in silence, watching their teammates steadily grow more adamant about their respective sides. It had all begun when they had started talking about different ways to gain the advantage in a fight. Velvet had mentioned that at times her ears had given her a distinct advantage in many bouts at her old school. Curtiosity had given way to conversation, which had led them to this moment. Yatsuhashi raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Fox simply nodded. He was usually willing to go with what Coco suggested. SHe had yet to lead them astray, and he trusted her judgement.

"Alright then, let's get started, shall we?" Coco asked with a smirk. Since she knew what was coming, there wouldn't be anything she would be caught off guard by. She had seen Velvet wiggle her ears before. If that was all she had up her sleeve, this bet was as good as won.

Velvet smiled and pulled a small coin out of her pocket. Holding it up for Coco to see, she placed it on her thumb and flipped it with a flourish. Normally, when something like that happened, your first instinct was to look to follow the object. But this was something Coco had expected. She felt the corners of her mouth curl up as the small coin flipped through the air, completely ignored. Velvet would have to wake up earlier than that to get one up on- 'what the hell is that?' she thought as she tried to comprehend what was going on.

Velvet's ears were thrashing around almost violently. Didn't seem physically possible to move ears like that. This wasn't the wiggling she had seen a thousand times. That was cute. This... this was... SHIT!

It had only been for a fraction of a second, but the movements had drawn her attention and her gaze away from the moment at hand. For a hunter, a moment was a lifetime. Velvet had used that distraction and had brought her hand up blindingly fast without stopping the ear movement. Before Coco could bring her hand up to stop the attempt, her glasses had been swiped. She cursed and threw her hand up in the air as Velvet finally relaxed her ears.

The young faunus smiled brightly first at her team leader, then towards her partner. With a bit of discomfort, she had managed to get them out of an awkward situation and out on the town. She placed the glasses on her own nose and crossed her arms, grinning. She offered her partner an award winning smile before bringing her focus back to her leader.

"See? Works. Shock and awe! You just take something they're familiar with," she said, her ears wiggling in that adorable manner everyone was used to, "and crank it up. Works every time. A shocked target is an easy target!"

"Alright, you win, you win. You don't have to work on the paper," Coco answered with a small smile that quickly turned into a devlish grin. "But that doesn't mean you two are getting out of the presentation."

Velvet's smile faltered as she realized the implications. Coco and Fox would be working on the paper (mostly Coco), meaning that whatever they decided on, Velvet and Yatsu would have to help demonstrate in front of the class. And Coco was not one to let such a delicious opportunity go to waste. Velvet would have no idea what to expect intil the night before (or even the morning of, if Coco was feeling truly sadistic). As she realized her predicament, a soft curse escaped her lips.

"Awwww. Bags."

...

Yatsu let his aura take the blow. He had been hit by much harder out on missions. An old weapon like this was nothing. Before the old man could react, the hunter was on him. But rather than yanking the weapon out of his hands, Yatsuhashi placed his thumb over the man's forefinger. The man was confused, but confusion gave way to panic as Yatsuhashi used his thumb to force the old man to pull the trigger. Again and again and again, until the gun finally clicked empty. The silence after the shots was deafening. The old man was staring at the hunter as if the young man had grown a second head. All of those bullets had done absolutely nothing to he larger man. There wasn't the slightest bit of resistance as Yatsuhashi gently pried the gun from the hands of the shopkeep.

"Now. The men who come for these girls, I want you to tell me everything. What happens if something goes wrong? Someone comes investigating, or something happens with one of the girls? What do you do?"

"I... I ... I use the phone they gave me. It only has one number on it," the man stammered.

"And when you call this number, what happens?"

"They send a couple of guys to deal with whatever the problem is."

"How long does it normally take them to get here?" the hunter asked.

"N-not long. They're usually here after about ten minutes. I don't think they've ever been longer than 15..."

"Well then," Yatsuhashi said as he casually snapped the old gun in half, "It looks like you have a call to make."

Yatsuhashi escorted the older man to the counter in the front of the shop and watched him carefully as he dialed the number. If the old man acted in any way suspicious or tried to warn the kidnappers, Yatsuashi would have to do things the hard way. He decided to give the man a reminder.

"Hi. Listen- Yes, yes I know you said only to call in emergencies, but I really think this counts. That faunus girl you had in here earlier. Her partner came by snooping around and- No. No I-"

It was at this point that Yatsuhashi placed the shattered remains of the gun on the countertop. There was a brief pause in the conversation as the old man looked at the brokem pieces of metal before him. He looked up at Yatsuhashi's face and was given a look that reminded him that he didn't want to try the hunter's patience. Even if he panicked and started screaming to be saved, he would be trapped here, with an enraged man twice his size... for at least ten minutes. Seeing as the first struggle had lasted less than ten seconds, he really didn't want to know what could be done in ten minutes. Possibly fifteen. If they even showed up at all... he gulped.

"Wha-? No. No. Look, I locked him up in the prisoner cell. He's trapped for the moment, so please. Just hurry."

The old man hung up. It was done. Now all they had to do was wait.

Velvet kept her eyes closed, trying to decide what her next hint would be. She wasn't sure how long she had until they moved her to the next location. If there even WAS a next location. For all she knew, the ones she had already left him would be the only ones he would get. She hoped that they would be enough. Her second clue had been left unfinished, so she could only hope that he had understood under the context. She tried her best to block out the sound of the men crongregating in the warehouse. That, as it turned out, was a mistake.

"Hey, I ASKED you a question!"

Velvet looked up, in a sense. Her arms were hancuffed together behind her back. Her ankes had a similar accessory. The blindfold over her eyes certainly wasn't doing her any favors. They weren't going to take any chances with a rabbit faunus, it seemed. They wanted her to be as helpless as possible. They wanted her to FEEL as helpless as possible. They wanted to break her mind before they ever had to do anything to her body. She wondered just how many girls had been subjected to this. Her thoughts were once again interrupted by her captor. He yanked on her ears painfully, and she let out a small sound despite herself.

"I asked where that 'hero' of yours was now? You were so confident just a little while ago. So, where is he?"

"He's coming. I know it. I-"

She was interrupted by another yank on her ears. She started to let out another yelp but stopped herself. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction. She trusted Yatsu. She just had to believe in him. He would make it here before-

The one who had been talking to her had become impatient. He reached down and grabbed her shirt by the collar with his free hand. Before she had a chance to offer up any resistance, he quickly pulled down. It didn't matter that she was blindfolded. The sound accompanied by the sudden breeze was enough to let her know just what had happened. Her shirt was now torn beyond repair. As much as she didn't want to, she couldn't help the gasp that came out at the feeling.

"Wha-what are you doing?!"

"Me? You should ask what HE'S doing. You were so sure he'd be here by now, so where is he? If he were here, maybe we wouldn't have had a chance to do THIS, eh?"

She suddenly felt his fingers begin to explore place that caused her face to flush a deep red. As she heard his menacing chuckle in her ear, one fact became disturbingly clear: There would be no third clue. He forced her to her knees.

"We're gonna have some fun before we send you off."

The doors to the shop opened up and in walked two large men in suits. They obviously weren't trying to be inconspicuous. Yatsuhashi was further in the back of the store, watching the door intently. The two men approached the front counter and whispered something quietly to the shopkeep. He gestured towards the back into the aisle that Yatsuhashi currently occupied. The two men walked up to the hunter and right before they reached him, he shifted to allow them to pass. He heard a bit of their conversation as they moved past him.

"Look, Coal, I'm just saying you're going to freak people out being all secretive like this."

"Sabine, when you have Grabbs the day before your wedding, feel free to announce it to the fuckin' world. I'm not telling a soul."

"Well with the way you keep scratching your crotch, you're being pretty obvious. Though you really should be more concerned about-"

"Shut up. I'm done talking about this. Completely done."

"Hey, I tried to warn you. I always knew she was soulless, but this just proves it. I thought only Grimm could get Gra-"

"WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS."

"Wait, Coal, c'mon I was just joking! Wait up!"

Yatsuhashi, despite his circumstances, couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. It seemed that some problems never changed. The two men grabbed the medication they needed and headed back to the front. As quickly as they had come, they were gone. Yatsuhashi had only Velvet to thank. If it hadn't been for her last message, he might have acted out against those two. Incomplete as it was, she had given him everything he needed. The door opened again and Yatsuhashi saw the man he had been waiting for. He slowly made his way towards the front as the man casually walked over to the front counter.

"Hey, gramps. He still here?"

"Y-yeah. He's still here," the shopkeep answered as calmly as he could. "I just want him gone."

"Well don't you worry your wrinkled little head about it. I'll make sure this aaaaaaall goes away."

The young man froze as he suddenly felt a presence behind him. Yatsuhashi's voice was both cold and amused as he finally addressed the one responsible. At least partly responsible, anyway.

"Didn't you hear? The shop's closing early. Family Emergency."

The man didn't even have a chance to turn around as Yatsuhashi brought the waste bucket over his head. The room suddenly went dark before a blow on each side of his head through the bucket rattled his brains and left him unable to keep on his feet. He fell, but was caught by the quiet hunter. There was a moment of stillness before he felt himself being roughly carried and thrown. His back hit concrete, and he slid to the floor. His mind still muddled, the man reached up and gently pried the bucket off his head.

Yatsuhashi stared at the man, once again grateful for Velvet's clue. As much as he suspected, there would have been nothing to be done about it while being absolutely certain. 'Host. Red Ves-' painted a target on the man.

"Now then. I see you took my advice and didn't make me go back to the restaurant. So I'll start off nice. Where is Velvet Scarlatina?"

The old Shopkeep tried his best not to think of what awaited him in the near future. Between the authorities and the men he was working for, he knew that his peaceful days were gone. There was a pang of guilt at knowing that his 'peaceful days' had been bought with the lives of all those young girls, but he quickly pushed it aside. It wasn't his fault. He wasn't the one doing the crime. He was just trying to stay safe.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard a cry from the holding room. Whether it was from pain or distress, he couldn't be sure. The sounds continued, and he placed his hands over his ears, as he had done all those times before. Much to his relief, the cries stopped rather quickly. He heard a door slam, and he was no longer alone in the room. The large man was holding a key ring in his hand. The keys to the vehicle outside seemed so small in his hands, and the shopkeep shivered, wondering just what those hands had done to the man in the back. He jumped when he realized that the hunter was talking to him.

"I'll be back soon. When I do, I expect to find that man still trapped in that room. Since there's no way to open it from the inside, I'll have no choice to assume the worst about his escape."

The tone was clear to the shopkeep, if the hunter came back and the prisoner was gone, there would be only one person answering for it. He gulped as the young man left, taking the kidnappers car. He heard a pounding on the holding room's doors. The sound was almost as loud as the pounding going on in his chest. That was it. He needed a new line of work.

Yatsuhashi sped as fast as the car would move. The place was very near, but every moment counted. As he thought of what might be going on in that room at that very moment, he couldn't help the increase in speed. He pulled up to the seemingly abandoned warehouse and jumped out of the car, not even bothering to turn it off. He needed to hurry. He could only assume the worst, and his mind was certainly not going to make it easier on him. He kicked the door down and found the place quiet, aside from a few whimpers.

Velvet sat on a desk, wearing a button up shirt rather than the outfit she had been wearing when she left the dorm that morning. The remains of handcuffs still dangled on her left ankle. The ankle connected to the foot that was currently placed on the back of a man she was using as a footstool. The man was sporting several new bruises, and what looked like a broken arm. Velvet seemed undisturbed by the state of affairs. Surrounding the desk was the gang of men that had been in control. They were all bound in different ways, and were all seriously injured in some way or another. Yatsuhashi sighed at the now all too familiar sight.

"Yatsu! You're late. That's a shame. I was really puling for you this time," Velvet offered with a smile. "You probably would have made it if this bag didn't get handsy."

She put more pressure on the human footstool, who could only look to Yatsuhashi for help. The hunter could only shake his head and sigh. He wondered when he became comfortable with the idea of classifying breaking up a human trafficking ring as 'date night.' He looked at Velvet, who only waved cheerily at him. He wondered how many this made now. And every time, she would end up taking down her captors before he could arrive and 'save the day.'

He pulled out his scroll, already dreading what came next. He wondered if calling Goodwitch every time counted as aftercare. At this point, he was already expecting to have to call her on their wedding night.

"Velvet?"

"Yes, Yatsu?"

"Can we just go watch a movie next time?"


End file.
